The Truth of it All
by Someone aka Me
Summary: Because the truth of it all is Gwaine kind of loves Percival, and, miraculously, Percival kind of loves him back.


Thanks a million to Liza for the organizational help with this!

For my Sammie. Happy birthday! (Again).

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The other knights know.

This is partially a product of the fact that they have zero time away from everyone and partially a product of Gwaine being entirely unable to keep a secret when it's something he's proud of.

The truth is, Gwaine knows that Percival would rather no one know. Percival would rather snatch moments alone here and there and never tell. But Gwaine can't live like that. He won't act like this is something to be ashamed of, because he doesn't believe it is. He doesn't blame Percival for his fear, but he won't let it confine them to stolen moments when Gwaine knows that Leon and Elyan won't care. Gwaine can read people extraordinarily well, and these are his friends.

Honestly, Percival didn't even want to tell Leon and Elyan. The only person he'd ever told that he was inclined toward men was Lancelot, because Lancelot was, for a long time, his best and only friend. Lancelot… hadn't understood, exactly, but he knew what it meant that Percival had told him, so he _tried_ to understand. Things were different, afterward, though. Awkward and distant in a way they hadn't been before.

Percival had never blamed Lancelot for it. But it hadn't made him want to tell everyone he knew.

In the end, Elyan finds out first, when Gwaine ducks to kiss Percival where Percival's sitting on the ground as Gwaine makes his way out of camp.

Elyan blinks. Percival blushes. Gwaine grins and leaves them alone.

"Was that…?" Elyan asks. Percival rolls his eyes, but he nods.

"So you two are…?" Percival nods again.

"Huh," Elyan says. Percival smiles slightly, because he _is _happy about it, because he kind of loves Gwaine, even when he does things like this.

By the time Gwaine returns, Elyan has decided that the whole thing is hilarious. He asks if Gwaine needs to stand on a barrel to kiss Percival, and Gwaine and Elyan end up wrestling in the dirt, both laughing. Percival, watching them, smiles.

Leon finds out when he makes an off-hand comment about a barmaid and Gwaine tells him that she's pretty but Percival is prettier and definitely a better lay.

Percival can feel his face heat up as he smacks Gwaine in the back of the head.

"Idiot," he says gruffly. Gwaine just smirks. Percival wonders why he puts up with this madman.

Leon looks at them. Percival grins and shrugs. Gwaine, he can tell, is only barely resisting the urge to confirm it by kissing him — the only things holding him back are the number of people surrounding him and the knowledge that Percival doesn't really appreciate it when they're in public.

So it generally goes a bit like this. Gwaine makes lewd jokes, as he's wont to do. Percival blushes. Leon teases Percival for his blush. Gwaine makes another lewd joke. Elyan changes the subject.

And Percival is surprised, every time. He is surprised that Leon and Elyan genuinely don't care. He is surprised that Gwaine is so easily open about their interactions.

Gwaine is Gwaine, though. He hadn't really ever asked or been told. He'd just sort of cornered Percival in a hallway of the castle, pushed himself up on his toes, cupped the back of Percival's head to pull him down, and then kissed him fiercely.

Percival hadn't been quite sure how to react. He hadn't any idea that Gwaine had noticed his attraction, let alone returned it.

But Gwaine's lips were insistent and Percival found himself reacting eventually, ducking his head further and bringing his hands up to rest on Gwaine's hips.

Gwaine is persuasive that way.

Percival later finds that he wasn't as subtle as he thinks, and Gwaine is more perceptive that he'd given credit for. Gwaine had noticed the moments when Percival let himself look a little longer. Even though Percival never intended him to.

Gwaine knows it annoys Percival that he doesn't ask before letting people know, but Percival knows it annoys Gwaine that he'd rather hide, so Gwaine rather thinks they're even.

He stops at two, though. For Percival.

He doesn't even tell Arthur or Merlin, even though they were the first of his friends in Camelot. For Percival, it's different. Arthur has always been an authority for Percival in a way he isn't for Gwaine. And Gwaine knows this, and he understands it. And Merlin, Merlin is… well, he's Merlin. And though none of them honestly think of Merlin as just a servant anymore, if they ever did, that doesn't change the fact that Merlin is and always has been just a little bit set apart.

Gwaine knows Merlin wouldn't care because Merlin is hopelessly in love with Arthur, but he doesn't mention that. He rather thinks he may be the only one who knows.

But it doesn't matter, because despite what most people think, Gwaine does know how to compromise. He tells Elyan and Leon because the four of them spend the most time together, but he keeps quiet around everyone else, as much as it hurts him to keep careful distance between them when the others are around. Gwaine doesn't take to secrets. Not when it's something he's proud of, something he'd rather be telling everyone he knows that that beautiful, wonderful man is his.

Because the truth of it all is Gwaine kind of loves Percival, and, miraculously, Percival kind of loves him back.


End file.
